Character creation in Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most fun and rewarding elements of the game. Yet it can eat away at your play time if you aren’t careful.
Not all D&D games are campaigns. Most are one-off games where players are invited to quickly roll up a character. But 14 hours later the character still isn’t done, all your snacks have been reduced to crumbs, you’re down a sixer of ginger beer, and the new guy is still dithering back and forth on whether their character should be a half-orc or a halfling…a sorcerer or a wizard…or if they’ll use a bow or a falchion. It can drive a D&D group bonkers!
By the way, if it’s your turn to bring snacks for your D&D group, bring something everyone can enjoy, because Bob can’t have gluten.
Party of Five is 5 ready-made character ideas that can help a player quickly generate a character they are stoked to play. They are simple too. In fact, the 5 characters below need only the Player’s Handbook.
Party of Five! Ideas for a Full Adventuring Party of D&D Players
1. Skarlett TottenHall and Sobig
Skarlett TottenHall and Sobig are an odd pairing: One is a gnome ranger and the other her big brown bear companion.
Armed with a sling staff no longer than a baton, Skarlett is jovial and entirely competent, even if she is often mistaken for a child.
Skarlett would be perfect for a player who wanted to play a ranged class that might not do a ton of damage, but has a lot of utility and makes for light-hearted role playing. Plus, having a brown bear companion is nice (use a typical brown bear stat block for Sobig).
Scarlett’s quick stat block is below or you can download a full character sheet, courtesy of Hero Lab.
Skarlett Tottenhall
Rock gnome ranger 6
Medium, lawful neutral
Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
Hit Points 52 (6d10+12)
Speed 25 ft.
STR 8 (-1), DEX 17 (+3), CON 15 (+2), INT 12 (+1), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 13 (+1)
Saving Throws Str +2, Dex +6
Skills Insight +4, Nature +4, Religion +4, Stealth +6, Survival +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Gnomish, Gnomish, Halfling, Sylvan
Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d4+3 bludgeoning damage.
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d6-1 bludgeoning damage or 1d8-1 bludgeoning damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 80 ft./320 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d6+3 piercing damage.
2. Roentgen Elbatan
Roentgen Elbatan is a famed wizard whose powers have eroded powers due to being kept feeble minded as a prisoner of war. Once well known for his prowess and vast skill, Roentgen is now level 1, having had his best years stolen from him.
Roentgen would be interesting to role play in that it is easy to imagine the frustration he must feel in having lost so much. But there would be certain satisfaction as well, in that it would be a delight to witness the power return to Roentgen as he again increased in levels and could have the old spells returned to him, having them been stolen from him.
Players will want to slowly unfold his backstory (Why did he become famous? How was he captured? Who held him prisoner?), as I simply used generic copy to generate the character. Download Roentgen’s character sheet.
Roentgen Elbatan
Human wizard 1
Medium, lawful good
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 8 (1d6+2)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 8 (-1), DEX 10 (+0), CON 15 (+2), INT 16 (+3), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 13 (+1)
Feats – Spell Sniper
Saving Throws Int +5, Wis +3
Skills Arcana +5, Insight +3, Investigation +5, Religion +5, Survival +3
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Giant, Halfling, Orc
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d4 piercing damage.
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d6-1 bludgeoning damage or 1d8-1 bludgeoning damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
3. Pheldyne Brahe
Pheldyne Brahe is a half-elf bard who doesn’t stray too far from stereotypes. He’s flashy and there is no limit to the amount of attention that he’ll attempt to draw to himself. He talks non-stop, but it seems as if he never says much of value.
Yet he is loyal and there is no questioning that he makes the adventurers around him much better, bringing out the best in them.
Besides, he also has the best one liners and insults.
Pheldyne is great for the role player who wants to play it loose and swashbuckle(y), plus has the sense of humor to pull off good-natured banter. Pheldyne’s quick stat block is below or you can download his full character sheet, again, courtesy of Hero Lab.
Pheldyne Brahe
Half-elf bard 7
Medium, chaotic good
Armor Class 14 (armor, +1)
Hit Points 52 (7d8+14)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 10 (+0), DEX 12 (+1), CON 15 (+2), INT 8 (-1), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 19 (+4)
Saving Throws Dex +4, Cha +7
Skills Acrobatics +4, Arcana +2, Athletics +3, Deception +7, Insight +8, Investigation +2, Perception +8, Performance +7, Persuasion +7, Sleight of Hand +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Goblin, Orc
+2 Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d8+3 piercing damage.
Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30 ft./120 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d4+1 bludgeoning damage.
4. Didier Hutu is a human cleric (modeled after a Burundian profile) who serves Ilmater. Didier chose the life domain, which means he would serve as an excellent healer for the party.
Didier grew up in the service of a great and honorable cleric, who was a devout defender of the common people. But his master was executed by a group who rose to power through force and exploitation. Didier was separated by his fellow acolytes, and adventures both to defend the common people, as well as one day be united with his companions.
Didier’s stat block is below, but here is a full character sheet.
Didier Hutu
Human cleric 2
Medium, chaotic good
Armor Class 16 (chain mail)
Hit Points 19 (2d8+4)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 15 (+2), DEX 11 (+0), CON 14 (+2), INT 10 (+0), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 13 (+1)
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +3
Skills Insight +5, Medicine +5, Persuasion +3, Religion +2
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Orc
Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d8+2 bludgeoning damage or 1d10+2 bludgeoning damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d6+2 piercing damage or 1d8+2 piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
5. Cainen Szilard, a tiefling paladin plays entirely against stereotypes. Despite casting an imposing and intimidating appearance, there is none more noble and righteous than Paladin Szilard.
A staunch defender of the weak, Paladin Szilard eschews his noble background, instead dedicating his life to putting himself into danger in his fight against evil.
Download a full character sheet or use the simple stat block below.
Paladin
Tiefling paladin 4
Mediu , lawful good
Armor Class 16 (half plate)
Hit Points 32 (4d10+4)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 17 (+3), DEX 12 (+1), CON 13 (+1), INT 9 (-1), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 16 (+3)
Saving Throws Wis +2, Cha +5
Skills History +1, Intimidation +5, Medicine +2, Persuasion +5
Damage Resistances fire
Condition Immunities diseased
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Infernal
Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 100 ft./400 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d10+1 piercing damage.
Halberd. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 1d10+3 slashing damage.
Party of Five! Ideas for a Full Adventuring Party of D&D Players
With a front line defender, a healer, a spell user, and two support characters, the above can be a ready made party of 5. Players will undoubtedly want to make tweaks in order to make these characters their own, but these characters are nice to get players started quickly. And none venture beyond the basic rules or the Player’s Handbook.
And if you need help with tactics, check out our player guides for simple combat here.
Tabletop Takeaways: Tips for Dungeon Masters with a Narrative Spin